How to Reboot Your Get-Organized Resolutions

Struggling to keep up with your organizing goals already? Try these three techniques to get back on track.

In my practice as a professional organizer, I see many common pitfalls that cause resolutions to fail. Here are three easy modifications you can make to get back on track:

1. Check your mindset.Imagine a toddler giving up on learning to walk because he keeps falling down. Of course that is ridiculous, but people who are trying to get organized or make other life changes will often give up completely after one misstep. Realize and accept that you absolutely will have ups and downs as you try to improve. You can get right back up and take more steps, just like a baby does! Dont let All-or-Nothing Thinking ruin your efforts. You dont have to be either completely on or completely off a program of change.

2. Check your language.Do you make permanent, negative statements about yourself? When you say things like, I am a very disorganized person, or I always lose my keys, you make it nearly impossible to change that behavior. Your mind believes what you are saying and will conform. Catch yourself and reverse it! Change a negative statement to a positive statement or question instead, like I am working on my organizing skills, or I frequently lose my keys. How can I stop that from happening?

3. Check your support system.Making changes requires three components: education (learning how), motivation (knowing why), and support (getting help). Support is almost always the missing link in New Years resolution attempts. Your motivation will likely waver, and you may not always know the answers, so where will you get encouragement and advice to help you continue on your path? Members of our program online often partner with a friend. You can trade favors working on each others closets and other projects, and youll keep yourselves accountable and provide some objectivity, too.

Lorie Marrero is the best-selling author of "The Clutter Diet: The Skinny on Organizing Your Home and Taking Control of Your Life" and the creator of ClutterDiet.com.

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